Gaudí. Victoria Charles

Barcelona began in the autumn of 1868. His elder brother, Francesc, was already there by then, studying medicine. During his first year he completed the final two compulsory courses of his secondary education at the Instituto de Jaume Baulmes. However, one may also assume that he spent considerable time discovering Barcelona’s architecture, both old and new. The following year Gaudí, aged 17, enrolled in the Science Faculty at the University of Barcelona.

      Tower of Bellesguard

      Detail of trilobite arches in parabolic form in the first attic

      The five-year course that he attended covered various branches of mathematics as well as chemistry, physics and geography. His university results offer one means to measure Gaudí’s intellectual ability. He passed, although had to retake his final year before entering the School of Architecture in 1874. Testimony from fellow students record his commitment to study, yet also the difficulties he encountered especially in theoretical subjects such as geometry. The image of the student Gaudí that emerges from his biographers is a thinker who relished work in a practical context, but found theoretical and abstract principles both challenging and tedious.

      Tower of Bellesguard

      Lobby

      Gaudí’s practical approach to solving complex architectonic problems, as opposed to drawing on mathematical solutions, is notable in his mature work, when he would employ models to develop his ideas. However, Gaudí’s mind was not only scientific. Prior to being accepted at the School of Architecture he had to prove himself at both architectural and life drawing. While no less was to be expected of an architecture student he also passed the school’s French language test. He clearly had some ability in languages as well as literature.

      Tower of Bellesguard

      South side

      In the course of his life he mastered German and was an avid reader of Goethe’s poetry, much of which he knew by heart! Thus the profile offered by Gaudí’s academic record reveals a broad range of abilities. Perhaps more important is that these were accompanied by an avid enthusiasm for learning, in particular with regard to his chosen discipline. Study in the School of Architecture was structured firstly through academic courses in drawing skills for preparing architectural plans and designs and in gaining a knowledge of building materials.

      Tower of Bellesguard

      Building detail (gothic window)

      In conjunction with these taught courses students also put their work into practice. Between 1874 and 1875 Gaudí’s projects included the design for a candelabrum, a water tower and, most notably, a cemetery gate. The following year his studies were interrupted by conscription to the army. Although Gaudí was decorated for his defence of the nation it seems he did not actually see action. The following year his projects were more taxing, having to design a patio for local government offices as well as a pavilion for the Spanish exhibit at one of the many grand international exhibitions that took place in Philadelphia.

      Casa Calvet

      General view

      In the course of his student career he would also work on a shrine for the Virgin of Montserrat, designs for a hospital, a boating lake, a fountain and a holiday chalet. Having carried out this range of designs, Gaudí was trained to work from the small scale to the monumental, as well as being prepared to satisfy the different demands of potential clients, from institutional to ecclesiastical buildings and public to private spaces. As this range of work testifies, Gaudí’s student years were an extremely hard-working and productive period.

      Theresan College

      Brick work columns on the first floor

      Of the few graphic and design works that have survived until today a number were part of his student projects. Although these works demonstrate his affiliation with the principles and ideas of his teachers, which are discussed in the following chapter, they mark the start of his career and highlight the dramatic changes he introduced into the practice of architecture. Despite the classical simplicity of the 1875 design for Gaudí’s cemetery-gate project, it is interesting to note the integration of sculptures and ironwork which would become central features of his later work.

      Casa Calvet

      Insect door knocker

      Six angels line the sides of the archway, the two iron gates meet at a sculptural group of the Crucifixion with the Virgin and St. John the Baptist. Above, in the centre of the arch, is the figure of Christ as Judge of mankind and crowning the structure is the enthroned figure of God. Combined with other elements Gaudí created an iconographic programme based on the book of Revelation, the last book of the bible which recounts the mystical and eschatological visions of St. John the Evangelist.

      Casa Calvet

      Anagram detail

      The addition of the flaming beacons on the four corners and what appears to be a censer, for incense, signals his interest in effects of light and organic forms of flame and smoke. Gaudí failed his assignment for this design as its descriptive setting was not considered the correct procedure for an architect!

      Gaudí’s skills as a draughtsman are remarkable, and Gaudí’s teachers did recognise this even though they questioned some of his techniques. In his course of studies he was awarded an honour grade and was thus eligible to compete for a school prize.

      Theresan College

      General view

      The project he entered for the competition was an elaborate lakeside pier, with steps to the water to board pleasure boats. It combines an elegant yet elaborate arcade of Gothic arches above which rise two cylindrical towers. The lakeside promenade is decorated with sculptures stood on pedestals, which are linked by a wrought-iron balustrade. Out of recognition of his teachers’ strictures on the principles of drawing, the references to reality are almost all but eliminated: faint touches of watercolour evoke the lake’s surface and a boat comes into dock. Closer study reveals the wealth of detail with which Gaudí imagined this building.

      Theresan College

      Corner view of building with the original coat of arms

      Such attention to detail indicates the dedication of the young trainee architect, and the pressure of Gaudí’s workload during this period was added to by the need to support his studies by working for a number of architectural practices. Despite the challenges this must have posed, not to mention the emotional strain of the deaths of both his mother and elder brother, all of which he overcame through pure hard work, he finally qualified as an architect in 1878. However, there was a dispute between the lecturers over his qualification, which may signal that his excessive workload distracted him from his studies.